Time of Dying
by Hakase Fudou
Summary: Life. Death. Is it really possible to experience both at the exact same time without consequences to the mind?
1. Life and Death

_Time of Dying _

_A Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's three-shot_

_Summary:__ A man. A scientist. That was all Hakase Fudou was in his own eyes until his wife, Ayame, gave birth to Yusei, their only child. However, work at MIDS had prevented Hakase from even seeing his wife and his child until an unfortunate accident once again binds the family together. From the day Yusei was born until the events of Zero Reverse occurred, he ponders why he risked his life and his family over the sake of research time and time again and he tries to do everything in his power to reverse all he has done. However, time by itself can be very cruel . . ._

_Disclaimer: None of the characters in this are mine. Not even Ayame. I mean, I just only gave Yusei's mom a name I could use to make life easier for myself. All the characters represented in this are owned by Kazuki Takahashi and those epic peoples that take part in 5D's._

_A/N: Well, since I'm in the mood of re-writing my old fics these days, I felt the need to re-write the first and third chapters (Heck, probably the entire fic.) of Time of Dying. Hopefully, you'll enjoy these two chapters better than the original copies._

* * *

**~Chapter 1: Life and Death~**

The room is brightly lit, as per usual of a busy hospital around this time in the afternoon. There were many people in this hospital, most of them who are on the brink of dying. However, these people weren't on my mind at this particular moment. The only person on my mind right now was Ayame, my wife, who was probably giving birth to our child right about now.

I was working on my research with my associates, Rudger and Rex Godwin, when I received a call from Ayame's doctor, telling me that it was time for her to give birth to our first child. Our miracle, as Ayame truthfully put it. I quickly told the two brothers that this was a very important matter that not even the research on the Momentum could interfere with this time. After fourteen years of trying to conceive this child, our prayers were finally answered with a baby boy.

The two of them understood and continued to dutifully do their jobs so I could leave the research in good hands. Then, I immediately rushed out of the research lab and ran towards the hospital, which was the building right next door to the MIDS Research Center. The birth of my son . . . no, our son was an event I couldn't afford to miss. After spending so little time with Ayame after gaining my position as the head of MIDS, I couldn't miss meeting our little angel for the first time.

When I arrived at the hospital, I hurriedly inquired the receptionist at the desk, "Pardon the sudden intrusion, but where may I find Ayame Fudou?"

The receptionist looked up at me and gasped, for she probably didn't expect me to ask her such a question. Instead of replying, she quickly typed up something on her computer. Then she turned to look at me and said, "She's at the end of this hall on your right. The baby has yet to be born." Then she smiled at me and commented, "According to the doctors, you're just in time."

"Thank you very much." I responded. Then, I hurriedly ran towards the end of the hall.

I am now entering the room where Ayame was at. Room 565. My ears are greeted by the sound of Ayame's screams and my sight is greeted by the many doctors surrounding her. I run quickly towards her bedside, pushing one of the doctors out of my way. I had to see her face. It has been so long since I last saw her nine months ago.

Ayame's face is full of sweat, with tears probably mixed in. She is probably in extreme pain right at this moment, a pain I will never understand. But to her, it is probably a good kind of pain, the pain of knowing she will be able to deliver new life into the world. However, Ayame and I had been warned previously that this birth could cost her . . . her life. Her body is so frail and sickly, it probably can't handle the pressure of this birth. I could only pray that Ayame lives after this ordeal is over. Fate couldn't toy with Ayame's life like this. Not now. Not when we were so close to achieving our dream of finally having a baby boy in our family.

"Ayame . . ." I whisper, grasping for one of her hands, which was clammy from all the sweating.

The only response I got is more screaming from her pain. I only wish I could take it all away from her that she would never have to experience it. But, I can't. I'm just a mortal human being with no power like that whatsoever.

"It's alright, Ayame." One of the doctors tries to assure her. "He's almost here."

"Ayame, hold on. You're almost there." I whispered in her ear softly, hoping I would soothe her nerves, even by just a tiny bit.

No such luck.

She screams really loudly, which almost made me deaf hearing it since I was so close to her, and then she falls straight to the mattress of the bed she is laying on. The delivery process . . . it is finally over.

The room is filled with a new sound now. The sound of a baby boy's cries. Not ones of sadness. Not ones of joy. They are only cries which tell people that it is alive and healthy. I hold Ayame close to me out of instinct almost. She almost looks unconscious, but I could see that her eyes are slightly open and she is smiling. The baby . . . He is finally here.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Fudou." One of the doctors comes up to us. "It is a healthy, baby boy. A miracle that he didn't inherit his mother's sickness."

I watch as the doctors bathe our new baby boy. He is a tiny little fellow, for he is only the size of about half of Ayame's arm. His skin is really ruddy and the amount of hair he has was just enough to cover the top of his head. Although he is crying very boisterously, he looks as though he is peaceful at the same time. He even looks like an angel.

However, a wave of guilt begins to spread throughout my body. Did a sinner like me, who did nothing to help his wife while she was pregnant with his child, deserve to call himself the father of this perfectly beautiful angel? Am I truly worthy to claim this angel as my son and his mother my wife? Did I deserve any of the miracles that had occurred before my eyes? Or, does Fate think otherwise?

I did not ponder on this thought for very long before I hear violent coughing breaking into my thoughts. The sound is all too familiar to me. It is a bone-chilling cough, one that made my skin grow cold as I look down at Ayame, who is coughing out blood at this point.

The joy of our newborn son quickly disappears from my mind as panic sweeps over my thoughts. Ayame's blood splatters over my face, but I didn't care. I want to be by her side more than anything right now. She's the only one that matters to me right now.

However, my wish wouldn't be granted. Doctors pull me away from her bedside as several of them take my place by her bedside, placing a breathing mask on top of her mouth. They try everything they could to get her to stop coughing blood. Normally, her fits, with medical help, usually cease after about a minute or two. But, five minutes have already passed since her fit of coughing began. Anxiety wipes over me in a second at this fact.

Finally, one of the doctors injects some kind of drug into her arms and her coughing gradually begins to decrease until finally, it stops. I am slightly relieved at this turn of events, thankful that she would be all right. However, being the worrisome person that I am, I ask one of the doctors quietly, "Will she be okay?"

The doctor that had helped deliver the baby is the first to reply to my question, "She will be all right, Hakase. She just needs to rest for a bit. Though, you and the child should consider yourselves lucky as well. We nearly lost her this time."

At those words, I become indignant. _THIS time. _I think bitterly to myself. She has had plenty of near death experiences before. Besides, how can these doctors take death so lightly? If I ever lost Ayame to death in this life . . . my life would serve no purpose, no objective, anymore. And, the little baby . . . How would I tell him about his mother if Death were to claim her as his own?

However, instead of saying any of these thoughts out loud, I sit beside Ayame again, since the doctors were busy conducting their tests. She must have noticed my presence in the room. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have stretched her hand out in my direction. Without even thinking about it, I grab her hand and hold it close to me. Then, for the first time since the delivery, she spoke, though her words were almost unintelligible.

"A-Aka . . ."

Aka is Ayame's nickname for me that she has always used since we started seeing each other.

"Don't speak, Ayame. Don't wear yourself out." I command her gently. "You need plenty of rest right now."

I place my right hand on her forehead. Her forehead is warm, the kind that occurs when you've been out in the sun too long. I want to reassure Ayame that I am here for her when she most desperately needs help. She grabs my hand and holds it.

"Where is . . . Where is . . . ?" However, her speech is cut off by her fits of coughing. Thankfully, this one lasts only a minute and no blood left her body.

"Ayame, please. Don't wear yourself out by talking." I remind her.

She nods in response, smiling.

"Our son's healthy. He's with the other doctors, so he'll be fine." I reassure her, answering her question which she could only partially speak.

She nods again and mouths, "I'm glad." I smile in response that she is going to be okay right now, as long as I am beside her.

However, even if I get to spend this much time with her now, the one thing I'm truly grateful for is that Ayame is even alive after the delivery. You see, Ayame was one of those children who were born with some kind of illness stuck in their body makeup. No one really knows why she is so sickly, since both of her parents and grandparents were healthy. The mystery itself even baffles the doctors. Her sickness, though, is improving, bit by bit. For you see, before we married each other, she had to make stops to the hospital for every trivial matter, such as the proper digestion of food in her stomach or if she was breathing properly. Well, the doctors say those are trivial matters, but personally, I think there's nothing 'trivial' about your body. Everything that your body does is important to you, no matter how trivial it seems. After we were married in the hospital she originally stayed at back in Okinawa, the frequent visits slowed down before she finally moved in with me. However, work at MIDS became so demanding that I had to make my home at the research center instead of in an actual house. So, Ayame was forced to stay at a hospital for around the clock treatment.

Although she was, and still is, considered sickly, she was showing some improvement over when she was younger, when she was really sick. The doctors were pleased at this news and they were relieved that they didn't have to monitor her body all the time. However, on top of her birth-given sickness, she has recently been diagnosed with tuberculosis. So she has been forced to stay at this hospital ever since so that her sickness wouldn't spread to others other than family.

However, this doesn't properly explain why her existence after giving birth to our child is considered a miracle. When we found out she was pregnant with the baby, the doctors gave us a grave warning. They said that due to Ayame's lack of blood, any of the remaining blood, when it comes time for the delivery, will be transferred to the baby to keep it alive, killing Ayame instantly. Ayame and I were distressed at the news, I more so than her. We wouldn't know what to do when that time came. So I asked the doctor what we could do in order for Ayame to not lose any blood. Ayame was still very much a young girl at 36, I being 38. I couldn't risk losing her at an age so young.

The doctors gave us two options then. Allow the birth of the baby, endangering Ayame's life in the process, or . . . abort the baby. They were strongly encouraging us for the latter option. However, Ayame and I were both indignant that they even suggested such a thing. They wanted us to abort our child, our love, _our future._

Ayame was clearly more upset about this than I was. She flung her arm in anger, knocking over a vase of roses, where the water spilled on the tile floor and the roses lay abandoned. She winced in pain, but pain was the last thing she worried about, it seemed.

"Abort? Abort OUR child? OUR dream?" She interrogated the doctors present angrily. "Smash our miracle into a million pieces? Do you KNOW how many nights of working Aka had to sacrifice JUST so we could have sex and conceive this child? How many nights Aka had to sacrifice his health just so _I_ could be pregnant?" She was choking a bit on her words, but she bravely continued, "Do you know how many times . . . we . . . we had to show our bodies to God, with only MY bed sheet to cover us both, in hopes that He would answer our prayers for a child?" Finally, she broke down and cried, for the situation at hand was too much for her innocent mind to bear. I placed my hand on her shoulders and held her close to me, remembering those days that she mentioned.

For the baby to finally be conceived in Ayame's womb, it took fourteen years of I trying to break away from the monotony of the Momentum research, just so I could help in fulfilling Ayame's dream by having sex with her. However, I could only leave at night time, which wasn't very often. That only happened . . . at the most, four times a year. Night time, fortunately, was when the hospital was mostly empty. Business in there usually didn't pick up again until four in the morning. I remembered . . . everything about those nights. Her body close to mine, her rapid breathing, her hands travelling along my bare back . . . It was all very vivid to me. I remember her being so reluctant about it, yet she went along with it anyway. All for the sake of one child.

I couldn't let all of Ayame and my efforts go to waste by means of abortion. That is simply and obviously out of the question.

"As you see," I told the doctors there, holding Ayame close to me, "abortion is simply not an option for the two of us. We're both going through with this pregnancy, whether you doctors like it or not."

Many of the doctors were too frightened by Ayame's outburst to even speak, yet alone respond to my statement. They only nodded and busily went back to work. One of the doctors gave me a pleading look, but I showed no difference in my facial expression, forcing him to follow his colleagues.

But, Ayame's outburst had made me realized that she was willing to DIE for this child. She wanted this child to be delivered safely, no matter what happens. I, by no means, consider abortion as the 'final solution' in pregnancy. But, I wasn't so sure if I was willing to risk losing Ayame's life over the child's delivery. Losing Ayame was the last thing I wanted to do in this life on Earth. However, I did not speak my thoughts then. I only held Ayame close to me, kissing the top of her head.

Maybe . . . Maybe it was because I didn't speak my thoughts out loud that Ayame lived past the delivery. Or, maybe it had something to do with our newborn son. He did have a strong aurora about him as he was entering this world. That aurora was something only a Signer, a follower of the Crimson Dragon, the dragon who helps protect mankind, had possessed. All that I knew is that our son might be more special than we had originally thought.

The doctors who helped with the delivery come in with the newborn baby, finally quieted down. The little boy is peacefully sleeping in the doctor's arms. It seems that the doctors finally calmed him down.

"It's a miracle." The doctor declares. "The baby shows no signs of permanent damage or sickness, despite the mother's condition."

The doctor's right. Our child was a miracle born into the world. He was the miracle that occurred after fourteen years of praying, after Ayame and my relationship had been broken by distance and time.

Like the Planetary Particles – _Yusei Ryuushi_ – that bring the other particles together, this baby boy brought me together with Ayame, after we had been separated for so long.

So that shall be the baby boy's name. Yusei Fudou, the one who brings others together, no matter what.

Prior to this day in time, as a leader in quantum physics, I discovered these Planetary Particles, which were new. These particles were also necessary to build the Momentum, a non-polluting energy system. However, this is only my theory. But the fact I named my son after this discovery is the real deal, for I do believe he will bring others, despite the circumstances, together.

Yusei Fudou, the heir of the Fudou name and the blameless child of Ayame and me. I really expect the best for this child, after all we did to conceive, bear, and give birth to him. I pray that he does not commit the same mistakes I have made in my life. I pray that his path leads him to good fortune and prosperity. Not in money, but in bonds. I also pray that whatever obstacles he may face, he may overcome them with dignity.

I just wish him the best in everything he will do in this life.

The doctor then hands the sleeping boy – Yusei – to Ayame, who receives him with loving arms. She holds him close to her chest, disappointed that Yusei would have to receive her milk through the bottled kind instead of the natural way. The doctors had recommended this strongly, simply because they didn't want the baby to become sick like his mother.

However, her frown turned into a smile. She looks at me, and leaning towards me, she asks, whispering so only I could hear her, "Aka . . . Have you decided a name for him yet? For our little angel and our miracle?"

I smile in reply and whisper, "Yusei. Yusei Fudou."

"Yusei . . ." She repeated, stroking Yusei's black hair. "The name . . . It comes from your recent discovery, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. Since he brought the two of us together, I figured that was what Fate chose for our angel." I reply.

Ayame nods, still holding Yusei close to her. All of a sudden, she begins to cry, tears streaming down her face quickly. All that happened today is finally coming back to her in her mind, probably. She is probably still in shock of everything that's been happening to her. Before I even realized it, I start to cry also. This newborn child . . . He was the reason Ayame and I tried so hard, that we strongly hoped. This child spared his mother's life. This child sleeping . . . was our dream.

Our child, Yusei. He changed our lives the moment he was conceived.

Our son, Fudou Yusei.

At last, Yusei stretches out his tiny arms and yawns, waking from his slumber. He flutters his eyes open, wanting to see the world for the first time. His eyes open wide for a moment and then close them again, starting to cry. I guess he is still sensitive to the light.

"No, no. It's okay, Yusei." Ayame whispered, wiping tears from her eyes. "It's only the light. Nothing to be afraid of." She proceeds to rock him back and forth in hopes to calm him down.

He understands, by the tone of her voice, that the light wouldn't hurt him at all, so he opens his eyes again. This time, he lifts his right arm over his eyes to shield them so he wouldn't be as sensitive to the light. Then he put his arm down and stares at the two of us with his midnight blue eyes that he inherited from Ayame. Little Yusei stared at me for the longest of minutes with the semblance of a half-frown on his face. Then, his expression changes again.

Then, in half of a second, my worst nightmare begins to come to life.

Yusei closes his eyes for a moment, but when he opens them again, he begins to wail hysterically, like he had just experienced a terrible nightmare. Ayame and I both become concerned over Yusei's sudden behavioral change.

"Yusei, what's wrong?" Ayame inquires softly. But, before she attempts to calm him down, she proceeds to cough violently. Her breathing rapidly increases, as so does her heartbeat, initiating that her body has begun to spin out of control. Doctors scramble to the scene immediately, grabbing Yusei away from Ayame's hands so her tuberculosis wouldn't spread to him, pushing Ayame down on the bed while placing a breathing mask over her nose and mouth, and pushing me out the door of her hospital room, all at the same time. In a matter of seconds, my piece of heaven was changed into hell on Earth and my family was divided in an instant.

Yusei is still wailing hysterically with one set of doctors trying to calm him down, giving him multiple shots in case he caught his mother's sickness. Another set of doctors was focused on Ayame's coughing fits and many drugs were injected into both her arms in hopes to get her to stop. But, no drug seems to work on her this time.

I close my eyes to stop myself from crying. I want so badly for this to be a nightmare and nothing more. I want open my eyes and pretend what had happened was all a bad dream and that I was back in Ayame's hospital room with her and Yusei.

No such luck.

"Ay-Ayame . . ." I choke, holding back my tears. I couldn't cry over this. I just couldn't! Not now! But, the situation at hand makes it really hard not to cry. Men didn't cry, my father always told me. The closest they can get to crying is being silent and not talking to anyone. If you don't talk, you won't cry. And if you don't cry, no one's going to make fun of you for it.

But, sometimes, it is hard enough to not cry at all.

All I can do now is to go back to the MIDS building and try and remember and cherish the happy moment Ayame, Yusei, and I shared as a family before the unfortunate accident. Pretend that what I saw was a figment of my imagination. I didn't want to worry my colleagues over this, so I try to calm myself down.

I start to walk back towards the entrance of the hospital, distressed at what had happened.

Goodbye, Ayame . . . Yusei. Please don't forget me, a sinner unworthy of your love. Please . . . forgive all of my sins.

* * *

_**Preview**_

_"Research on the Momentum has been causing the city to have the most unusual weather, so I have put a stop to this, but why is Rudger acting so unusual? Why does he want to resume research that might take lives if we're not careful? Has he lost his mind? But, despite these hardships, Ayame's feeling the best she's ever been in her life. I've been told that she hasn't coughed for more than one second recently. To even add to the good news, little Yusei is learning to talk now!_

_But, will this peace between us three last? Especially when Yusei is a confirmed Signer?_

_Next time, Time of Dying Chapter 2: Hell and Resurrection _


	2. Hell and Resurrection

_Time of Dying_

_A Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's fanfic_

_Summary:__ A man. A scientist. That was all Hakase Fudou was in his own eyes until his wife, Ayame, gave birth to Yusei, their only child. However, work at MIDS had prevented Hakase from even seeing his wife and his child until an unfortunate accident once again binds the family together. From the day Yusei was born until the events of Zero Reverse occurred, he ponders why he risked his life and his family over the sake of research time and time again and he tries to do everything in his power to reverse all he has done. However, time by itself can be very cruel . . ._

_Disclaimer: None of the characters in this are mine. Not even Ayame. I mean, I just only gave Yusei's mom a name I could use to make life easier for myself. All the characters represented in this are owned by Kazuki Takahashi and those epic peoples that take part in 5D's._

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**~Chapter 2: Hell and Resurrection~**

_Ayame . . ._ _Yusei . . ._

My mind is in disarray and my body is weak, almost fragile. How could I have gotten myself into this mess? If I hadn't halted the research to begin with, I wouldn't be in this position in the first place. However, as it is, I did what I did. The reaction, however, was not my fault.

How could Rudger have even BEGUN to think up what he had done? How did he know about the seals' location? Why did he send those guards after me? Had it had something to do with his trip in Peru? Just WHAT did he learn there that had converted his train of thought?

The blood in my mouth increases as I continue to walk towards Ayame's hospital room. Luckily, there was no one around in the hospital to gasp and stare at how poorly I am walking. I must be in time for their lunch break. That could only be the reason.

I sometimes wonder why I wanted to do this kind of dangerous research as a little boy. Why did I want to do something that would later threaten the existence of humans? Did I enter this field of study because it would make me a lot of money and it would help the human race at the same time? Or did I want to do this kind of work because I'm an idiot and I knew it was time-consuming, but I started a family anyway?

Whatever the answer to the question is, I know that this much is clear. I know that I regret ever entering this kind of research. Maybe I should have just listened to my mother when she said this type of work was crazy and someone as noble as me shouldn't bother doing something like this. Maybe I should have taken her advice and became a teacher instead.

_"You should always put your family first." _My mother had told me when I was ten years of age. _"Scientists and doctors are usually so busy that they do not come home to their families for a long time. Teachers, on the other hand, are always required to return home every day so they can rest and be with their families."_

"_But . . . I don't WANT a family!" _I screamed at her, like the naïve child I was at the time. _"Starting families are sissy, especially for guys like me! I want to be a scientist and research the unknown! I don't want a family holding me back!"_

"_Like your grandfather said while he was still alive, you'll eat your words, young man." _Shescolded harshly. _"One of these days, when you do become a scientist, you'll regret not spending enough time with your family and then you'll be a miserable child the rest of your life. Is that what you want?"_

"_What makes you think I'll start a family? Why do you keep implying that?" _I inquired angrily, slamming my books on the floor.

However, Mother sighed angrily at my gesture and replied,_ "If you know what's good for you, you will accept my words as they are and do not question them. What I say are not just statements that come from the heart. These are PROPHECIES, little boy. You know what prophecies are?" _

Before I had a chance to react, Mother continued to scold me, saying, "_Prophecies are words that, no matter what happens, they come true. So when I say you'll start a family, you WILL start one. Fate has chosen that destiny for you."_

"_But, Mother-" _I protested, but she only proceeded to point to my room as a signal for me to go and do my homework and forget about my dream.

As much as I hate to admit it, Mother was right. I DO regret not spending enough time with Ayame and little Yusei. I wish I could have just settled down and become a teacher instead. But, my stubbornness did otherwise. Now, I'm stuck in this death trap, with my shoulder and mouth bleeding to no end and I'm trying so hard not to vomit chunks of blood. I have to stay strong, for Ayame. For little Yusei.

A year . . . That's how long it's been since I last saw the two of them. I wonder how Ayame is doing and if her health is improving. And Yusei. I wonder if he's learned many things since I last saw his angelic face. He's probably drinking and eating other things other than milk by now too. To think Rudger had threatened our lives in such a despicable way is sickening. As I walk slowly, becoming closer and closer to Ayame's room, my mind begins to replay all the events that had led to my visit to the hospital.

* * *

**Hakase Fudou's Flashback**

_After I had left Ayame and little Yusei in that hospital room after that dreadful event, I had arrived at the Old Momentum, trying to conceal my true emotions so that my colleagues would not have to worry about my state of mind. At first, Rex had asked me what had happened, for he noticed my lack of enthusiasm for the Momentum project. I quickly changed my expression, forcing a smile to form on my face, and told him it was nothing and I was just tired. It couldn't have been further from the truth, but Rex accepted this response and we went on dutifully in our research._

_I continued, with my associates, brothers Rudger and Rex Godwin, to research the Momentum. However, as time dragged on, Domino City was experiencing abnormal weather and the Momentum continued to produce alien noises that were foreign to the brothers and me. I had put the two together and presented my conclusion to the brothers and to the others that partook in this research._

"My fellow colleagues," _I announced, _"as you may have noticed, the City has been having some unusual weather for this time of year and that the Momentum has been producing very strange sounds. For this reason, I believe that the Momentum is causing the strange weather in the city. As a safety precaution for us and the City, I have decided to stop the research on the Momentum."

_After I had announced this, there were murmurs of surprise, relief, and disappointment. I believed what I was doing was for the benefit of all human kind. However, it had seemed Rudger did not think the same way._

"With all due respect, Hakase, you cannot be serious about cancelling the research." _Rudger responded calmly, though I knew that he was very disappointed in the cancellation of the research of which I hired him for. _

"I am very serious, Rudger. Even if what I have said to you is only a theory of mine, we must take all precautions in keeping the Neo-Domino safe. We will have to research something else in the mean time until we can find a way to research the Momentum without harming Neo-Domino's citizens in the process." _I replied with a firm tone._

"But what about the on-going research?" _Rex asked. "What will we do with it, now that it's been cancelled?"_

_Rex had brought up a good point. But there was no possible way I would let this research harm the people of Domino City. I would never forgive myself._

"As long as we can't guarantee safety, we can't bring the people into danger." _I replied. I looked at Rudger and he still had a look of disappointment on his face, but he did not say a word. However, I took this reaction from him a bit too lightly._

_Rudger told me the next day that he was going to go to Peru for a vacation. I was shocked at the sudden turn of events. Why was Rudger going on a trip all of a sudden? _

"Do not fret, Hakase." _Rudger assured me, as if he was reading my thoughts. _"I just need to go clear my head somewhere else for a while. Continue the usual without me."

_However, when he returned, it was clear the trip wasn't for him to "clear his head"._ _I had been confronted many times by many people after I said I would stop the research on the Momentum. The people wanted me to continue to work on the research and to resume it, but I refused to listen to the suggestion. I only continued to say that the research was harming the City and I would not let it continue._

_However, five men in black suits and sunglasses appeared before me one day and said what many people have told me: That I should resume the research._

"No matter what you people say, I will NOT resume the research." I declared.

_As if my statement were a joke, one of the men laughed for the longest. He stopped abruptly, stared at me in the eye, and explained, _"I'm afraid you no longer have the authority to do so, Dr. Fudou, since you have been fired from MIDS."

_Fired? How could I have been fired? What have I done to deserve that?_

"Besides, we have spent too much money on this research for you to cancel it. The new successor of this research has already been chosen."

What successor? _I thought, but as soon as that thought entered my head, Rudger Godwin stepped forward. I was shocked. The most loyal of my associates had betrayed me._

"Rudger! What is the meaning of this?" _I inquired angrily._

"Hakase, you do not have the desire to seek the truth like I do and like the people of Neo-Domino, which is why you have been fired. Thus, I have taken the responsibility of finding out the truth." _Rudger replied. _

"It's a little late for that now." _I objected. _"I have already built the controllers for the Momentum. The Momentum won't be effective unless the controllers are unsealed."

"Huh. You mean _these?_" _Rudger asked, showing Stardust Dragon, Red Demon's Dragon, Black Rose Dragon, and Ancient Fairy Dragon._ _How . . . How did he get his hands on those?_

_I quickly grabbed the controllers and started to run away from Rudger and his group. However, the men started to shoot me with their guns and in my haste, I dropped Ancient Fairy Dragon in the controller room, leaving it in the hands of Rudger. It was not long before I was hit by one of their guns. My shoulder started to bleed and I also began to bleed at the mouth._

_Rex, thankfully, was in the room where I was hit, so I could at least give these cards to him so they would be in safe hands._

"Hakase, hold on!" _Rex urged me, though I am not sure how long I would last. I had to give him the cards while I still had time._

"Rex, stop the Momentum with these." _I commanded hoarsely, giving him Stardust Dragon, Red Demon's Dragon, and Black Rose Dragon. Rex understood and took the cards and ran to find his brother, I assume. I began to stand up and walk towards the hospital._

_**End of Hakase Fudou's Flashback**_

* * *

I finally arrive at Ayame's hospital room and turn the knob to open the door. One of the doctors turns to look at me and he gasps.

"Hakase Fudou's bleeding at the mouth!"

I wish he hadn't said that. In an instant, a swarm of doctors rush towards me pushing me down on . . . Ayame's bed. Why wasn't Ayame in this bed? Where did they put her?

Before I could ponder on this more, I see Ayame walking in the room, holding Yusei in her arms. She turns to look at me and her expression changes from a calm outlook to one of fear and anxiety. She places Yusei in what looked like a crib and runs towards me. She collapses by the bedside.

"Aka! Aka, what happened to you?" She gasps, grabbing for my hands. "Why are you being treated like this?"

I couldn't reply to her. If I opened my mouth, blood will come out and she will become even more panicked. For this reason, I kept swallowing the blood that threatened to leave my mouth. It was a disgusting taste, but I didn't want to scare Ayame any more than she is right now.

"Aka, say something!" She cries desperately.

"A-Ayame . . ." I whisper, trying so hard to avoid the bloodbath occurring in my mouth from falling out. However, no matter how hard I try to conceal the bloodbath going on in my mouth; my shoulder gives me away by its bleeding. Thankfully, Ayame hasn't noticed.

However, the doctor strictly commands me to open my mouth so that he could take a look at it. I hesitate for a moment. If Ayame even sees for one second . . .

"Hakase, please. It's for your own good." The doctor urges.

It is no use hiding my pain from Ayame forever. I obey the doctor and open my mouth. I feel the blood trickling like rain from my mouth on my face. I hear Ayame scream in shock and desperately call out my name over and over again. However, in each passing second, I feel like I am going to pass out in any moment, so all my senses are failing with each passing second.

"Damn it." The doctor hisses. "I'm going to need a mask! We have a bad case of bleeding here!" In an instant, a swarm of doctors crowd around me, completely separating me from Ayame.

"AKA!" She screams out in pain. "Let me go! He needs me!"

The doctors were holding both of her arms so she wouldn't interfere with what the doctors performing on me were doing. Did they have to force husband and wife away in such a hideous manner? She needs me. I need her. Didn't they see that?!

While all of this was going on, I could hear Yusei crying boisterously, although it sounded very weak to my ears. Was this . . . was this Fate toying with Ayame? How could Fate be so cruel? Ayame is such a sweet, innocent girl. She doesn't need this kind of horror in her life. Not now. Not . . . _now._

All of my senses failed at that moment. The last thing I hear before the room

suddenly blackened sent a chill down my spine, the last thing I felt.

"AKAAA!"

* * *

**~Chapter 2: Hell and Resurrection Part II~**

What . . . what happened? Where . . . am I? Am I even . . . alive?

My eyes flutter in an attempt to open. The surroundings . . . the pale walls, the soft bed. I am still in Ayame's room. I could still feel the force of gravity acting on my body.

I am still alive.

When I realize this, I open my eyes and staring back at me were another set of eyes, a set of midnight blue eyes. I immediately recognize who was staring at me.

_Ayame . . . _How long had she been standing there? More importantly, why was she standing? I realize I am still occupying her hospital bed, but I should have been moved after I blacked out. What's going on?

"A-Ay-Ayame . . ." I whisper, stuttering her name.

Ayame hears and holds me close to her, stroking my hair with each passing second. I don't understand. The doctors wouldn't approve of this kind of behavior. Why, with their narrow minds, were they allowing Ayame to do whatever she willed? What about her tuberculosis, her given-at-birth sickness?

What happened while I was gone?

"Aka, are you feeling okay?" She whispers, placing her pale hand on my forehead. Her hand . . . It's warm. Warmer than usual, but it feels good on my cold forehead.

I nod my head slowly in response, smiling. "Ayame, I'm really happy to see you, especially right now."

"I know, Aka." She smiles. "Me too. During the past year, I've really missed you, almost to the point of tears."

"Ayame . . ." I gasp, surprised at her sentence. "Why?"

"Little Yusei, our baby boy. He always tries to grab for something and examines it and is an energetic little boy, just like you are about your project." She replies. "He's also very caring towards the unfortunate of the hospital and he always wants to play with them. He . . . he reminds me so much of you, Aka." She replies, choking a bit. She is trying to hold back tears.

I smile and put my hand under her eyes so she wouldn't cry. "Ayame, where is our son?"

Ayame wipes her eyes with her sleeves and replies, "He's still in the crib, taking his nap." Then she smiles weakly and says, "He has wanted to meet you for quite a while now, ever since you sent that teddy bear to him a while back."

Ah. The teddy bear. I wonder if Yusei likes playing with it. I had bought and sent him a teddy bear only a couple of days after the unfortunate event which divided the three of us as a family. Sort of like an "I'm sorry" for my baby son.

Ayame stands up and walks over to the crib where Yusei was sleeping and picks him up. Yusei then wakes up and cries, unhappy that his nap had been disturbed.

"No, no, Yusei." Ayame orders him softly, rocking him back and forth. "Daddy wants to see your happy face. Don't cry."

Yusei's cries then dwindle down to whimpers as he struggles to sit up in Ayame's arms. She places the baby boy in my arms and I hold him close to me. This . . . this is the first time I ever held this angel, ever since he was born, although he has grown tremendously since I last saw him. I stroke his forehead and his black hair, which has increased in amount. His hair has grown from being just a tiny blanket to cover the top of his head to almost an umbrella. He has tiny spikes for bangs and his hair even grew a shade darker, almost my hair color.

Little Yusei grabs for my hand and holds it close to him, grinning his toothy smile at me.

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" He exclaims happily, jumping up and down. Then he giggles a bit.

Yusei . . . can talk? Has it really been only one year since I've seen him?

"Ayame . . ." I whisper, "Yusei can talk . . . already? I don't understand. Why aren't you confined in your bed? How can Yusei be talking already?"

Ayame smiles at me and then laughs for the longest . . . without a cough interrupting her.

"Aka, in your absence, I taught him several words and phrases to use. I also showed him a picture of you and told him you were his father, so I guess he made that association. As for my sickness that I once had . . ."

_Once _had?

"Ayame," I interrupt, "don't you still have that sickness?"

"No. Aka, THAT'S the miracle!" Ayame exclaims happily. "The last time I coughed as violently as I had for my entire life was a year ago when I last saw you. Then the doctors tell me that sickness is gone. And I've just been told that my tuberculosis is gone too! Aka, isn't that great?"

I . . . I couldn't believe this. Here, standing before me, is a woman who had a lifelong sickness, the one whom I had sex with and have risked my own perfect health to conceive Yusei, who was now talking. And now . . . she doesn't have it? She's perfectly healthy, for once in her life?

"It's as she says, Hakase Fudou." One of the doctors comes in and confirms Ayame's statement. "All of our data shows that she is as healthy as a human could possibly be. It is as confusing to us as it is to you how this is even possible as your wife has been sick for most of her life. All that we do know is that it's gone, with no signs of it ever coming back."

"I . . . I don't believe it." I moan. "Ayame . . . perfectly healthy . . ."

"It's true." She reassures me. "I wouldn't lie to you about something like this."

"I know, but . . . it's just . . ." I couldn't complete my sentence. This news is just too good to be true. Had God finally listened to my prayer after so long, for Ayame to be healthy?

"Daddy?" Little Yusei's tiny voice breaks through my thoughts.

"Yes, Yusei?" I look at my son, at his midnight blue eyes that he inherited from Ayame, and smile. "What is it?"

"Mommy and Daddy kiss now?" He inquires, letting go of my hand and clapping his own two hands together.

Yusei's question automatically makes my cheeks burn a bit, but I try not to show it in front of Ayame. Instead, I put Yusei down on the bed while he was still looking up at me. I walk towards Ayame and put my arms around her waist, pulling her close to me. She looks up at me, clearly showing surprise in her eyes.

"Aka . . ."

I lean in until her lips and mine finally meet in a compassionate kiss. After all that has happened to the both of us in the last fourteen years, Fate has finally smiled upon us and given us good fortune and helped to heal Ayame of her sickness. It was . . . It was a _miracle. _

I didn't want that kiss to ever end and I'm sure Ayame didn't either. However, we had a son to take care of. And he needs all the love and attention he can get. So we let go of each other.

"I was wondering . . ."

I snap out of my thoughts and look at her.

"I was wondering . . . if Yusei had something to do with this." She whispers. "With us coming together when he was born, my ability to live after the delivery, my miraculous recovery . . . With everything that's happened."

I hadn't thought of that. Our own son saving his mother's life time and time again. However, I wasn't surprised either. I had picked up an unusual aurora about Yusei as he was being delivered into the world, something a Signer had. Rudger is – or rather, was – a Signer himself and I had picked up something unusual about him. He had been one of the first ones to volunteer to help me with my research of the Momentum, with his brother immediately second. Yusei . . . The boy had to be a Signer. He, unknowingly, had probably used his powers to save his mother.

"I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case." I told her. "The boy . . . He's a Signer. He probably used his powers in a way that prevented you from . . . from dying after he was born and heal you from your lifelong sickness. There is just no other way around it."

Ayame's expression immediately changes at the statement and she looks concerned. I had told her about what a Signer was, what a Signer's responsibilities were, and what he or she was destined to do.

"Our little boy . . . only a year old and he's already been fated the terrible destiny of a Signer." Ayame whispers sadly. However, I grasp her shoulders and disagree, saying, "He has overturned your destiny and mine countless times before. He will be able to overturn his too. I just know it."

Ayame smiles and picks up Yusei and cradles him in her arms. Yusei responds by emitting a shrill of happiness as he tries to grab onto Ayame's necklace.

"Maybe you're right." She agrees. "He's such a happy little baby; he'll overcome that hideous destiny of his."

"Bah!" Yusei cries out happily, throwing his tiny arms into the air, as if agreeing with his mother's statement. Ayame smiles at the sight.

"Aka . . . I was thinking . . ."

"Yes, Ayame?"

"This day has been important for the both of us. There should be something that exists to remind us of this day." She replies. "Like . . . a photograph of the three of us."

"I agree." I nod. "A photograph it is."

"But . . . Aka, don't you have to go back to work soon? Won't this take up your working time?" Ayame asks out of concern for my former job.

I couldn't tell Ayame the truth: That Rudger had fired the Fudou family and we were never to work at MIDS ever again as long as HE was the head of the Momentum research. I couldn't tell her about why I had been bleeding in the mouth, an event that seemed so distant now. Not when we are so content with our lives. Not now . . . Not ever.

"No . . ." I respond truthfully. "It won't. My associates are okay with my absence."

"Oh, good!" Ayame reacts cheerfully. "That's great, Aka! You're able to spend more time with your family now!"

I couldn't possibly tell Ayame the truth . . . Not when she's so happy right now . . .

I throw my arm around Ayame's shoulders and together, with Yusei, we walk out of the hospital room . . . for the first time in Ayame's life.

* * *

**The Momentum Garden, Near the MIDS Research Center**

The garden, named the Momentum Garden after my research, is our destination for our first family picture. Ayame had always been fascinated by flowers, even in her childhood days, so it would make perfect sense that she wants our first family picture taken there. She always wanted a picture to be taken here, but since she was always sickly and I was always working, the opportunity never came for the both of us to be together and have our picture taken.

We arrive at the garden and walk towards the back of it, which was dominated by a multitude of trees. The sky is a perfect one: It is pale blue without a trace of cloud in it. The sun is shining brightly and it almost blinds Ayame a bit, since she has not been outside for so long, so she shields her eyes from the rays of the sun. The photographer, who is actually one of our trusted friends from our school days, leads us to the spot where he wanted the picture.

"Alright, Mrs. Fudou. You sit in this chair with your son while Hakase Fudou will stand behind the two of you." The photographer instructs us. We obey his orders. Ayame sits down on the white chair and cradles Yusei below her bosom. Yusei tries to grab for her necklace once again, as he probably thinks it is some kind of toy for him to play with.

"I just can't keep my necklace away from you, huh?" Ayame laughs as she places her hands below Yusei's head. I bend down and grasp Ayame's shoulders so I wouldn't seem to tall compared to the two of them.

"Maybe he just likes jewelry." I remark half-jokingly.

"All right. On the count of three, I'll take the picture." The photographer informs us. "One . . . two . . ."

"Bah!" Yusei giggles at the same time the photographer said 'three!' The photographer grabs the photo out of the slot where the camera emitted the picture and puts in a frame and hands it to Ayame. "Here you go. Your first family picture!"

"Thank you." Ayame responds, grabbing the picture out of the photographer's hand. "This photo . . . It's so beautiful." She remarks, smiling.

"Yeah." I agree. "It's not too bad, considering it is our first family photo."

Yusei does not say anything, but he continues to play with Ayame's necklace, since Ayame allowed him to play with it once we were through with the picture.

This moment . . . This entire hour had been nothing but miracle after miracle. In fact, Yusei's birth . . . had been nothing but miracle after miracle. It all feels like a dream. Maybe Rudger had fired me only for the sake of continuing the research, but surprisingly, good things came out of it. This moment . . . is my dream come true.

However, I feel a dark disturbance hovering over the three of us, like it was waiting to attack us any moment. But then it disappears. Had I imagined it? It was probably just my feelings playing tricks on me.

But, it seems I wasn't the only one who noticed it. Yusei begins to cry out of the blue. I didn't think he was hungry, since Ayame fed him before we had left the hospital. And he had plenty of time to nap also. It could only mean Yusei could feel the darkness hovering over us too.

"Yusei . . . Yusei, what's wrong?" Amaya asks worriedly.

However, Fate fools us. In the end, it really was a dream.

Ayame thrusts Yusei into my arms as soon as she voiced her concern for the crying babe. I was about to ask why the sudden behavior, but I knew almost immediately after I asked.

Ayame begins to cough violently, her coughs even echoing. The force of her coughs is so strong that she has to get on her knees in order to get a hold of herself. And . . . huge chunks of blood come out of her mouth.

"GET HER TO A HOSPITAL!" Our photographer cries out, seeing the sight for himself. "The poor woman, somebody help her!"

Why . . . ? I thought the doctors said . . . I thought Yusei had . . .

Doctors immediately appear out of nowhere and grab Ayame from my arms and place her on the cart and place a breathing mask on her, wheeling her away from the garden. Holding baby Yusei close to my chest so he couldn't see this nightmare, I run after the doctors, following them to the hospital.

Ayame's coughing seems to have dwindled down a bit, but not much. There must have been something in the breathing mask in order to soothe her coughing. However, she is still coughing out blood, even if the doctors are doing everything they could to get her to cease. They try everything, from antidotes to shots . . . everything. But nothing was working. Not this time. They had taken Yusei from my arms so they could inject shots into him, just in case he contracted his mother's sickness.

"It's no use." One of the doctors declares. "We've tried everything we could . . ."

"NO!" I scream at them angrily. "Try HARDER, you bastards! Try!"

"Hakase, it's just no use." Another one says. "Her body won't react to any of our medicines."

"Why can't you cure her?!" I scream at them, ignoring his statement. "Like all the other times?! WHY? You said she was healthy, damn it!"

"Hakase, her body is in its last stages of growth. Before the hour is over . . . Ayame Fudou will die."

No . . . No . . . He has to be joking. Ayame couldn't die. Not after that moment we shared . . . That miracle . . .

"She can't die . . ." I moan bitterly. "She just can't . . ."

I run towards Ayame's side, pushing several doctors out of my way. I begin to call out her name over and over.

"Ayame! Ayame!" I desperately cry out, fighting the tears that were forming from my eyes. "Ayame, don't die!"

Finally, in the midst of all this craziness, Ayame abruptly stops coughing and takes off the mask that was covered with blood. She looks around the room . . . smiling.

"I'm still here . . . on Earth. That's good." She whispers.

"Ayame . . ." I call out to her. I place my hands in a way that I am holding her in my arms, her head leaning against my chest.

"Aka . . . No matter how hard you tried to ignore it, my death was inevitable from the start." She whispers. "Not even our son can prevent it any longer."

"No . . . Don't say that . . ." I moan. Fate, how could you have done this to us? How could you do such a cruel thing when Ayame was so happy! Why?! Was it because I had chosen a path that led me away from my family for so long? Was it because I took every moment I had with them for granted? Why does Ayame have to suffer for my crime? Why?

I look at Ayame carefully. Her face is pale, much more pale than usual, and her body is cold. I grab her hands and hold them as an attempt to keep them warm. There was no doubt about it. Ayame, the woman I loved since our high school days, the innocent girl who refused to even show anger, was going to die.

And I could do nothing about it. And I called myself a doctor. Every associate of mine called me a doctor as well. Yet, I couldn't even cure my own wife. I had to depend on prayer. For Fate to rob us like this . . .

"Aka . . . thank you."

I stare at her in shock. Why would she be thanking me at a time like this?

"For what, Ayame?"

"For everything. For accepting me and my human frailties . . . for loving me so intimately . . . everything, Aka. You were the only one who has ever loved me for who I was. At least, now, I can die a happy woman, knowing I have given birth to a son, a baby boy."

Oh . . . God. Please, don't take her away from me. Not when I need her the most. Not when our son, Yusei, needs her. I won't take any more time with her for granted . . . just . . . spare her life! I beg you!

I couldn't hold in the tears anymore. I willingly let them fall from my face. I let my suffering show . . . in front of Ayame. She is the last person who I wanted to see such a hideous thing.

"It's okay." Ayame tries to reassure me. "I'll be in a better place now. I won't be sick anymore."

"Ayame . . . don't die." I whisper over and over, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.

"Aka . . ." She whispers slowly. I know from the beating in her heart . . . that she would die in a couple of seconds. "Aka . . . I love you."

I pull her face towards mine and our lips met in a kiss . . . for the very last time. It didn't last long before Ayame begins to cough violently again. She pulls away quickly, but I pull her back in. I didn't care if I got sick from her kissing me. All that matters now is that I am with her . . . until her very last breath.

However, she violently pulls away from me and coughs violently with chunks of blood pouring out, several of them landing on my clothes. Finally, she chokes and collapses.

Her heartbeat stops. And her mortal life departs.

What I was carrying in my arms now was a corpse. An empty, stone-cold corpse with no soul. It lacks emotion and feeling, warmth and healing, reassurance . . . love.

I stare at it in disbelief. One moment, Ayame was the happiest woman that ever walked the Earth and the next . . . she dies. Yusei . . . our baby boy . . . How will I ever tell him his mother died such a shameful death? That Death had swallowed her and claimed her as her own? He's too young . . .

At first, I was numb inside. I couldn't react to this death. I couldn't comprehend what had happened, what monstrous event had occurred.

But, it all came back to me in the end. My body begins to violently shake, tears and grief descending in the room. I couldn't control my emotions, after I had bottled them up for years . . . for Ayame's sake. Then, from the depths of my soul, I emit a cry of agony, one that even the demons of Hell could hear.

"AYAMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

* * *

_**Preview**_

_"Yusei . . . after I die, you will suffer many ordeals, but you will triumph over them all. I just hope you will avenge your mother as you live on . . . and me. I pray that you will forgive me for hurting you and your mother by my selfishness and pride. I just wish you the best in all that you do . . . Fudou Yusei._

_Next time. Chapter 3: The Gateway to Hell_


	3. Gateway to Hell

_Time of Dying_

_A Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Fanfic_

_Summary:__ A man. A scientist. That was all Hakase Fudou was in his own eyes until his wife, Ayame, gave birth to Yusei, their only child. However, work at MIDS had prevented Hakase from even seeing his wife and his child until an unfortunate accident once again binds the family together. From the day Yusei was born until the events of Zero Reverse occurred, he ponders why he risked his life and his family over the sake of research time and time again and he tries to do everything in his power to reverse all he has done. However, time by itself can be very cruel . . ._

_Disclaimer: None of the characters in this are mine. Not even Ayame. I mean, I just only gave Yusei's mom a name I could use to make life easier for myself. All the characters represented in this are owned by Kazuki Takahashi and those epic peoples that take part in 5D's._

_A/N: Just so you know, I'm still planning to do that 'additional' chapter. I just haven't decided what the overall plot of it is yet._

* * *

**~Chapter 3: The Gateway to Hell~**

Silence. There is no life in this room, apart from myself. Those androids who call themselves 'doctors' just stand there, dumbfounded at the fact that not even they could stop the death that was inevitable from day one. After my outburst, no sound was emitted. Yusei had been moved to the next room over after Ayame's sudden fits of coughing returned, which is why there was no sound.

However, just because there is silence in the room, it doesn't mean emotions didn't exist. They very much exist in this room and are very much alive. Tears would not cease to pour from my eyes after her death, which occurred only moments ago. Her undying love for me never dwindled, even when I promised her I would never leave her whenever we had our first child. I had been a coward ever since Yusei was born. I ran away from her the day Yusei was born when she had needed me to the most, when she needed me to hold her.

Yet, despite the fact that I've tested her faith in me time and time again, her last words were, "I love you." She loved me until her very last breath, even after all the pain I probably caused her by my absences. For her to have had that much love for me, it's unbelievable. Whenever I visited her, she always had this bright smile on her face and would always, with affection and love lingering in her voice, call out to me. There was never hate, anger, or bitterness in her voice. Only love.

I will never absolve myself for having spent so little time with Ayame, the woman I still love, even after her death, after we met in high school. To think that one conversation with her about what she was doing in the hospital when she should be in school would turn out to be dating to marriage to those intimate nights when we were alone . . . It is still incredible to think about. But, what was more incredible is how Ayame considered her permanent sickness . . . a blessing. Most people would complain about how they had to live with the sickness, but Ayame . . . she was almost glad she had it.

_"Not all sicknesses are curses." _She told me the day after we got married at the hospital. _"Sometimes, sicknesses can lead to wonderful things and you're grateful that you have that kind of sickness."_

_"But . . . Ayame, how can you consider a lifelong sickness . . . a blessing?" _Her logic was completely foreign to me. I could not help but ask.

_"If it were not for this sickness, we would have never met on that day when your high school class visited the hospital where I first was. Then, we never would have married and we would have never tried to conceive a child. That's why I thank Fate for being so kind to me . . . for giving me what so many people consider a curse." _She replied, inching closer to me. I wrapped my arms around her and held her, resting my head in her dark brown hair.

Even if she did consider her sickness a blessing, she did not misguide herself into thinking it wouldn't cause her pain. She knew all too well from past experiences before she met me that this sickness would cause pain in more ways than a healthy person could ever imagine. But even then . . . she wasn't afraid to die, either. She did not struggle with her 'inevitable' death, as she truthfully put it. But rather, she was just overly happy to be alive for another day, trying to make the most out of it. This was especially so after Yusei was born. While I was at work for mostly the first year of Yusei's tiny life, Ayame would constantly write me letters, saying how glad she was to be alive so she could take care of our little one. While it made me delighted to see she wasn't allowing her sickness bother her, it also scared me that she was waiting for her death, almost.

But now . . . she was gone. Her life was finished; her body exhausted from the sickness. She looked pale and, as a dead person would, had no energy inside of her. She was possibly the most innocent of women of her time. She was only angry one time throughout her life, but otherwise, she enchanted the human race with her kindness and compassion. How distant the memory of Ayame, for once in her life, being healthy seems, now that she is dead. Her soft lips pressing against mine, in our first real kiss, felt like no more than a dream that Fate had given to the Fudou family to haunt us for the rest of our lives. Her smile, her sweet smile, is to be never seen by another human soul ever again. Her voice that sounded like honey whenever it was used . . . is to never be heard again.

Tears still flowing out of my eyes, I try with all my might to look at Ayame's corpse. The last expression that Ayame's soul had left upon its body was one of peace and tranquility, despite her unfortunate way of dying. It burns my eyes to even look at her corpse, so I tear my gaze away. It is too much pain on my heart to look anymore. Ayame . . . why did you have to die? Why did you die after we shared the happiest moment of our lives together? Why?

Intruding into my thoughts, however, is a small whimper. I turn towards the whimper and see Yusei . . . about to cry. How could I have been so selfish? How could I have let Yusei see his mother – his dead mother – being cradled in . . . in her killer's arms? Yusei's midnight blue eyes show an expression of shock. Did he know what happened to his mother?

"Mommy?" Yusei's tiny voice whispers. "Mommy, are you okay?"

No response. Yusei's voice becomes higher, shakier, and filled with fear.

"Mommy? Why are you not talking?"

Again, no response. I couldn't let my son see my suffering, so I look down to cover my expression.

"Mo . . . Mommy?" Yusei's voice trembles and his little body shakes, as if he is about to cry.

"Yusei . . ." I whisper silently.

Yusei begins to wail loudly, as loud as his little lungs could handle. Had he finally realized that his mother . . . moved on?

"Mommy! Mommy!" He cries over and over again. "Mommy, come back! I love you, Mommy!"

Each word he yelled out cuts deep into my heart. I had been so selfish in my thoughts that I never once considered Yusei's pain and suffering. He probably loved his mother as much as I did, but to the extent of a little child. Ayame had cared for him, gave him love and encouragement, and taught him many things. It makes perfect sense that Yusei would act in this manner. However, despite this knowledge, I cannot bear the sight of my own child in such suffering. He said he still loves her, even after her death.

I place Ayame's corpse back on top of the bed that is blood stained all over and run towards my son, grabbing and holding him close to me. I didn't want him to see Ayame's corpse for one more second. I didn't want him to suffer any more. I whisper his name constantly in his little ears, hoping it would calm him down for a bit. I couldn't let Ayame's and my pride and joy suffer so much.

"Yusei . . . Yusei, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being such a selfish daddy . . ." I whisper. Then, painfully, I add, "No . . . You don't deserve to have someone like me as your daddy."

Yusei turn to look up into my eyes, his own wide open.

"Daddy?" He whispers.

"No, Yusei . . ." I protest silently. "I'm not 'Daddy'. You don't deserve a great sinner to be your daddy."

"But . . ." Yusei protests, "Mommy said that you were my daddy. That you were the one she loves very, very much and would do anything for you. Mommy . . . mommy didn't lie to me, did she?"

"Yusei . . ." I gasp in surprise. He is not about to let my statement go lightly. "Mommy . . . told you that?"

He nods.

I let a smile escape my face when I told him, "No . . . Mommy never lies. I suppose I am your daddy after all. What else did Mommy say about me?"

Yusei's expression completely changes from a sad child to a grinning one, happy what his mother said was true.

"Mommy also said . . ." He took a pause. "Mommy also said that you were very warm and when she hugged you, she never wanted to let go of you."

My eyes widen in shock. Ayame . . . She wanted to make sure that Yusei remembered his father not as someone who was always away from his mother, but rather, a kind, compassionate man who loves his wife and child.

"But . . . don't you hate me for what happened to Mommy? She . . . She's not with us anymore." I whisper, almost choking on my words.

However, Yusei stretches out his little hands and places them under my eyes . . . as if to stop me from crying.

"I can't hate Daddy. Daddy too loving and caring right now for me to hate Daddy."

"Yusei . . ." I whisper in disbelief. I walk towards Ayame's corpse with Yusei in my arms, placing him near Ayame's head, kneeling down with my face flat against the bed, and begin to weep bitterly.

"Ayame . . ." I whisper. "You didn't want our son to think badly of me, did you? You wanted him to see me as you saw me. Why? Ayame, why? Why did you have to leave us in the arms of death? Why?" I raise my head and lean towards Ayame's corpse's face. I lean in closer to where the lips are and kiss them. Despite the fact that Ayame had died, her lips are very warm against mine. I am sure I had gone crazy out of love for Ayame. Why else would I be kissing her dead body? Strange enough, however, the doctors weren't doing anything to stop me.

I am still madly in love with Ayame, despite the fact she would never wake again. Even after I die, I will still be madly in love with her.

I let go of Ayame's corpse painfully and look at Yusei. His eyes are wide with shock, wondering what I was doing with his dead mother just now. I will tell him when he's a little older to understand love and emotion.

However, it only took a few seconds later for me to realize that neither Yusei nor I will be alive to have that happen. The room in the hospital turned black as the electricity goes out all of a sudden. Then, the lights turn red and they constantly flicker off and on. Yusei, disturbed by this sudden turn of events, begins to cry hysterically, having been frightened. The doctors are completely clueless at why the lights are behaving this way. But, I know exactly why.

A while back, Domino City agreed that we should use the Momentum's light as a source of electricity as a way to save energy. While the majority of the population was all for this idea, this only created a greater concern for me. What if the Momentum were to fail or what if it was reversed? Research, later, had told me that if this were the case, the force would become so great that it would annihilate the entire city and everyone in it.

Unfortunately, the day is finally here.

_"Attention, workers. Attention, workers. Evacuate the city immediately. Evacuate the city immediately."_ The voice over the intercom announces. Every doctor begins to panic and runs out of the door in a hurry, in efforts to save themselves. I could hear the frantic screams coming from outside of the hospital. Every citizen in Domino City is trying to leave . . . but they were only making a bigger death trap for themselves.

If I stay here in this room, not only will I die, but Yusei will meet the same fate. I couldn't allow this to happen to him. After all that Ayame and I went through to conceive him, I just couldn't let him die in this inhospitable place. I immediately stand up and grab Yusei in my arms and glance at Ayame's corpse for the last time. Fate is doing a terrible deed. Not only has Ayame died a dishonorable death, she will never have a proper funeral.

"Goodbye . . . Ayame." I whisper, tearing my gaze away from the corpse, and I begin to run as fast as I could towards the exit of the hospital, carrying Yusei in my arms still. He is still crying boisterously, obviously disturbed by all of this racket. I have to get him to safety. I have to save him.

I run into the doors of the MIDS Research building, where people are forming clusters in trying to escape. Those poor people. I only wish that they enter heaven, where their sanctuary truly lies.

I immediately dash towards the pod room, which is towards the back of the ground floor of the MIDS Research building, where Yusei's salvation is waiting to embrace the little boy. The pod room was almost never used, until now. This room was originally used to transport goods from one city to another, but with so many people coming and going, there was no need. But . . . Yusei was small enough. He could fit in one of them and be transported to a city where the Momentum's light won't reach. He'll be saved.

I place the tiny baby in one of the pods, his crying ever increasing. I kiss the middle of his forehead, hoping that he would at least remember his daddy, the one who had saved him from the Momentum's light. My mind instantly replays the events that led to this very moment . . . Yusei's birth, Ayame's final near death experience, Rudger's trip and betrayal to the research, Ayame's miracle recovery, our first real kiss, Fate's cruelest trick, Ayame's . . . death, Yusei's and my final moments together . . . it all came down to everyone dying in the end. Everyone. All that is left for me to do now is to give Yusei what I had left in me, what I have to give to him.

Yusei, my son, when I die, you will face many challenges. The city that you were born into will change drastically as you grow up. Many people will despise your existence because of your relations to the man who had allowed many innocents to die, the man whom you lovingly called 'Daddy'. _But, I pray that you may face these challenges with courage and that your life will be filled with more joyous moments than dark ones. But most of all . . . I pray that you never taste the path that I have trod, a path of arrogance and pride. _I pray that the mistakes I have made will be annulled by your goodness and forgiveness towards all.

As much as you have said that you did not hate me now . . . you may grow up hating me once you are revealed the truths of all of these events. I pray for your forgiveness, that I had not done these things intentionally.

For your terrible fate as a Signer . . . do not fear of your birthmark. Though I have no knowledge on which birthmark you will hold nor which key you possess, you must _accept and overcome the dreadful fate that awaits you._

I also pray . . . that you avenge the untimely death of your mother, my love, Ayame Fudou. _That you will live a life in its purest form in her honor._

As for me . . . The darkness in Rudger's heart will more than likely allow this treacherous man to survive even the city-wide destruction. I pray that if you ever approach this man in your life that _you may change his heart of evil into the heart of good, for this will be your vengeance on my behalf_.

These . . . are my wishes. My final wishes as a mortal being in this world. My final wishes as Hakase Fudou, the former head of MIDS, the loving husband of your innocent mother, and . . . your daddy.

Goodbye . . . Yusei Fudou. Let us meet again someday.

I press the button that closes the pod and sends off whatever is inside of it to any place far away from here, Domino City. Yusei was still crying boisterously, but a smile creeps on my face, knowing I had saved one life as a mortal, human being. Suddenly, I wasn't afraid to die anymore. I had accomplished my mission as a mortal, as a husband . . . as a father. Yusei, Ayame's and my dream, will be safe from the reverse of the Momentum. And . . . when I die, I will be able to be with Ayame again, the woman I love.

Suddenly, it becomes as bright as the sun inside the pod room. My back becomes warm, as if the sun is beating down upon it. It feels good, but only for a moment before it turns into agonizing pain. The pain felt like a fire is burning along my back. But, like the moment before, it disappears.

And then, I depart from my mortal body.

* * *

**Epilogue – The Aftermath of Zero Reverse – Yusei's POV**

My name is Yusei Fudou, the son of Hakase Fudou and his wife, Ayame. I live in an area called Satellite by the local residents and the residents of Neo-Domino alike. I had been told by Martha that due to an accident that has been dubbed 'Zero Reverse', the city, formerly known as Domino City, had been divided into two cities: Satellite, a rundown city, and Neo-Domino City, a more sophisticated city. The citizens of these two cities, I have been told, have despised each other ever since that fateful day. In fact, this is so much so, that a Satellite person could not enter Neo-Domino without special permission from the other side of the Pipeline.

From many respected people in Satellite who had survived the accident, I have tried countless times to figure out who I was exactly. I knew I was not of Satellite origin, ever since the day I discovered my conscience. But, I never knew where. I have heard many of the elders say behind my back countless times when I was younger, "Ah, look. There's the son of the despicable man that let many innocents die." Or, I would actually gain respect from some of them and hear, "Ah. So even after the two lovers' deaths, their son still managed to survive. That's good."

I had asked Martha countless times of my true origin. But, each time, she told me, "Your father and I . . . We were very good friends." Ever since I was about four years old, I had wondered of my true origin, but no one would ever tell me who I truly was or who my parents were, apart from "Your parents were geniuses and they went by Hakase and Ayame Fudou." How had my parents met in the first place? What were they like? How did people treat them? Does this Signer versus Dark Signer war have anything to do with them?

But, more importantly, how does Rudger know so much about my father and me?


End file.
